AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ifthey were dating, why didn’t they know that they would both be here today?Surelythey would have talked about it.Andwhy did he only kiss her on the cheek?Surely, if they were together, they would have kissed on the mouth.
Theex-lawyer in him knew what to do.
‘Howdid you two meet?’ he asked.
‘Heteaches aBollywooddance class downstairs from my flat,’ she said as she attached her camera to a handheld steady-cam rig.
Krishdidn’t want to think aboutJaiveerbeing in her flat. ‘Howlong have you been dating?’
‘Um…about a month.’
Ah, hesitation.Mostcouples in the throes of early love would know exactly how long they’d been together, down to the hour. ‘Whereis he from?’
‘India.’
‘Whatcity?’
‘Mumbai?’
Hervoice went up at the end, like she wasn’t 100% sure.Interesting. ‘Whatfilm did he win theFanfareaward for?’Ifthere was one thing he knew aboutFrancesca, it was that she hatedBollywoodfilms.
‘PanjekaNyaay.’
Okay, he was a little taken aback by her perfect pronunciation and, he had to admit, a tiny bit impressed.Thatwas a great film.Andthat dance scene with the dogs…a modern classic.
‘Whythe third degree?’Shestopped prepping her kit and glared at him.
‘Iwas just curious.’Hecrossed his arms.
Atthat moment, a loud grunt came in over their headsets, followed by a kerplunk and a splash.Stella,David,Krish, andFrancescaall touched their ears at the same time.
‘Whatthe fuck was that?’ askedFrancesca.
Stella, her face scrunched up in disgust, said, ‘Itsounded like…’
‘Pooping!’ saidDavidwith juvenile delight, followed by a sneeze.
Krishput two and two together.Hetouched the microphone on his shirt collar, pressing the button to broadcast his voice to the whole team. ‘Wally?Ithink your mic is on.Over.’
Amoment of silence and then, ‘Bugger!Sorry, mate.Thebutton on my thingy gets stuck sometimes.Guessyou all got an earful.Over.’
Great, a faulty headset.Thatwas annoying, especially asKrishhad paid a lot of money for them.
Fromthe foyer of the house came the salutations of guests arriving.Krishdepressed the button on his mic again. ‘Don’tworry,Wally, we’ll fix it later.Just…hurry up.Guestsare on site.Over.’
Anotherplop sounded through the headset. ‘Bethere shortly, mate.Over,’ he said with a strained voice.
Krishpicked up his camera from the outdoor dining table and looped the strap around his neck.Hewould follow up withFrancescaaboutJaiveerlater.Ashe fiddled with his settings, he prayed to whomever was listening that nothing else at this wedding went to shit.
Francescaquickly realisedthat she lovedIndianweddings almost as much as she loathed traditionalEnglishones.
Sincethe guests arrived, it had been a whirlwind of colour and sound and scent.Menand women alike were dressed brightly, with lehengas and sarees in every shade of the rainbow.Andthe delicious smells…the sweet perfume of the hanging flowers mingled with aromatic cumin, frying onions, and zesty garlic; the buffet set up in the garden immediately grew a queue.
Thesensual, off-beat percussion ofBhangramusic electrified the air.Somethingabout that rhythm madeFrancescawant to move her feet, more so than the twee pop songs she heard on the radio.Shefilmed theDJmixing sounds at his desk near the pool.Beyondhim, past where the patio ended, a massive dance floor had been laid, starry lights twinkling across its whole surface.Gentlyglowing paper lanterns hung from trees surrounding it, and on the far side, there was a low, covered stage with strings of pink and blue flowers hanging down to frame an ornate two-person sofa.Behindthe sofa, a bright yellow neon sign proclaimed ‘Paramjeet&Ishani’.
Insidethe house, a room had been set aside for the henna.Thebride’s parents had flown in the top mehndi artists from around the world to draw intricate motifs on the guests’ hands.Whenone of the grannies noticedFrancescaadmiring her designs, the woman explained that the henna stood for good health and prosperity in marriage.Francescawished she could get it done, too, but the paste took too long to dry.
WhentheSangeetstarted,Francescafell in love once and for all.Ifshe never worked a traditionalEnglishwedding again, it would be too soon.Shehad seenSangeetparties in films, but the reality eclipsed those.ASangeetwas like a big dance off between families, a joyous celebration full of music and movement.Itfelt like being on the set of aBollywoodproduction with the colourful outfits, the choreographed dancing, and the lavish setting.
